Combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly

ABSTRACT

A combination flat sheet and fitted bed skirt sheet assembly, and mattress pad assembly. The mattress pad assembly has a top surface, upper and lower edges, retainers for retaining the mattress pad on a mattress, and strips of hook and loop material on the top surface near the upper and lower edge of the mattress pad. The combination flat sheet and fitted bed skirt sheet assembly have a fitted sheet portion having a flat top, upper and lower edges, lateral edges, lateral side skirts extending from the lateral edges, and a foot side skirt extending from the lower edge. Strips of hook and loop material are located on an underside of the flat top near its upper and lower edges. The flat sheet is positioned above the fitted sheet portion and is attached at a lower edge thereof to the lower edge of the fitted sheet portion.

SUMMARY

The invention relates to bedding, and more particularly to a combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly that can be used to make a bed up quickly and easily and taking the guesswork and frustration out of the direction the sheets should lay.

With conventional bedding, a fitted sheet, e.g., including folded corners with elastic are fitted around a mattress (or a mattress with a mattress pad on the mattress), and then a flat sheet is placed on top of the fitted sheet. Some people like to tuck in the corners of the flat sheet at the front of bed, but others do not. For a more attractive appearance, a bed skirt placed on top of the box spring under the mattress with a flat top surface and a vertical skirt is placed on top of the box spring under with mattress with the vertical skirt covering the sides of the box spring.

Making a bed, in particular with thick mattresses that can be very bulky and heavy can be difficult since the person of various ages making the bed may need to lift up the corners and attempt to slip the folded corners of the fitted sheet over the mattress's corners. Men and women and boys and girls can struggle with this task and often break fingernails in the process. Next, the flat sheet must be aligned with the fitted sheet. In use, sleepers typically sleep between the fitted sheet and the flat sheet, and the flat sheet can twist and shift around on top of the fitted sheet, sometimes ending up on the floor. Not surprising, getting children and some adults to spend the time and trouble to make their bed can be a challenge.

There accordingly is a need for an advanced way of bed making. The improved all in one Velcro sewn sheet set is the combination of a flat sheet, a fitted bed skirt sheet, and a mattress pad assembly. The bed is made more quickly and easily.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view showing a typical bed setup with an exemplary combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly of the invention suspended over the bed to show the various portions of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a detail showing the circled area 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partially exposed side view of the exemplary combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly of the invention on a typical bed setup with a mattress and box spring.

FIG. 4 is a detail showing the circled area 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of a mattress pad of the invention having lateral straps to keep the mattress pad fixed relative to the mattress.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning first to FIG. 1, there is shown a typical bed setup 10 with a mattress 12 on top of a box spring 14 that sit on legs 16. The combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly 120 of the invention is shown with the mattress pad 30 and combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt 50 suspended above the bed setup 10. Other arrangements are of course possible, such as a frame mount system. The mattress 12 has a top surface 18, two lateral sides 20, a head side 22, and a foot side 24. The box spring 14 has a two lateral sides 26, a foot side 28, and a head side 29.

The invention comprises a combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly 120. It includes a special mattress pad 30 that has a top 32, retention straps 34 located at corners, a strip of hook and loop material (e.g., Velcro®) 36 position on top of the mattress pad 30 near a foot edge 38, and a strip of hook and loop material 40 position on top of the mattress pad near a head edge 42 thereof. These two strips of hook and loop material 36 and 40 preferably extend across the width of the mattress and can have different colors, and/or can have printing thereon or nearby, words such as “FOOT . . . FOOT . . . FOOT”, and “HEAD . . . HEAD . . . HEAD”, or “BOTTOM . . . BOTTOM . . . BOTTOM”, and “TOP . . . TOP . . . TOP”, etc. respectively, so that when the mattress pad is placed on the bed, it is oriented correctly as required for use of the combo flat sheet and fitted skirted sheet of the invention. In lieu of retention straps 34, folded and elasticized side panels can (not shown) be used to retain the mattress pad on top of the mattress. Instead of strip of hook and loop material 36 and 40, double hook material, or some other detachable attachment device can be used, such as clips, snaps and the like can be used. The mattress pad 30 has two lateral edges 44 and 46.

As shows in FIG. 3, when the mattress pad 30 is placed on the top 18 of the mattress 12, the straps 34 will be looped around the mattress 12 to retain the mattress pad 30 snuggly in place. Referring back to FIG. 1, the combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet assembly 50 is shown. It comprises a fitted bed skirt sheet portion 60 and a flat sheet portion 90. The fitted skirt sheet portion 60 comprises a flat top 62 with two lateral sides 64, a foot side portion 66, and optionally a head side portion 68 that extends downwardly at the head of the bed, but this is not required. The lateral sides 64, foot side portion 66 are long enough to cover the sides of the mattress 12 and box spring 14 when placed wherein, as shown in FIG. 3. If included, an optional head side portion 68 can also cover the head side of the mattress, but normally this is not required. The corners 70 of the fitted bed skirt sheet portion 60 the lateral sides 64, foot side portion 66, and optional head side portion 68 are preferably not attached together by vertical seams, but instead, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lateral sides 64 are joined to the foot side 66 by a pleated closed corner 84 to better accommodate a wide variety of mattress thicknesses. The side portions 64, 66, and 68 of the fitted bed skirt sheet 60 is similar to a mattress skirt that is sometimes placed between a box spring and the matters to cover up the sides of the box spring and hang loosely downwardly. Located on the underside of the flat top 62 of the fitted bed sheet portion 60 are two hook and loop strips 72 and 76 which preferably extend across the width of the flat top 62 of the fitted bed skirt sheet portion 60. Hook and loop strips strip 72 is located near an upper edge 74 of the fitted sheet 60, and hook and loop strips strip 76 is located near a lower edge 78. The hook and loop strips 72 and 76 are complementary to the hook and loop strips 40 and 36 those located on top the mattress pad 30, such that the fitted top portion 62 can be engaged with its hook and loop strips 72 and 76 to the complementary hook and loop strips 40 and 36, respectively, of the mattress pad 30 and thereby holds the flat top portion 62 smooth and tight over the mattress pad 30 on the mattress 12, even though there is nothing positioned laterally to keep the mattress pad from shifting. The hook and loop strips 72 and 78 can be identical to or complementary in color to the hook and loop strips 40 and 36, respectively, on the mattress pad 30 so that users can easily determine how to orient the combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet assembly 50 relative to the mattress pad when making the bed. Some kind of other indication, such as working, e.g., “HEAD” or “FOOT” can be placed on the fitted sheet to aid users in determining what is the proper orientation for the fitted sheet 60 relative to the mattress pad 30 (which can have the same wording.) The lateral sides 64 extend downwardly from side edges 80 and 82 of the flat top 62. A flat sheet portion 90 is attached (e.g., by sewing) to the fitted skirted sheet portion 60 at or near the bottom edge 78 thereof. The flat sheet portion 90 has a flat top sheet portion 92 and two sides 94 and 96 which will hang downwardly. Near the head of the bed is a head edge 98 of the flat sheet portion 90. A sewn line 100 or other indication can be provided near the head edge 98 of the flat sheet 90 to make it easier for a person making the bed to determine how far the flap is to be folded down to tuck a blanket under.

Sleepers will place their body between the fitted sheet portion 60 and flat sheet portion 90. If more room is needed at the sleeper's feet, the sleeper can kick the top sheet 90 towards the feet to provide more foot room. Since the flat sheet portion 90 is attached to the foot of fitted sheet portion 60, this keeps the fitted sheet portion 90 aligned straight on the bed (to avoid the common twisting of sheets). Moreover, as the sides 94 and 96 are not sewn to other sides of the bedding, this design also allows sleepers to stick their feet out of the sides of the bed.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a partially exposed side view of the exemplary combination flat sheet and fitted bed skirt and mattress pad assembly 120 of the invention on a typical bed setup with a mattress 12 and box spring 14 on legs 16. FIG. 4 is a detail of same in circled area 4-4 of FIG. 3. As can be seen, the mattress pad 30 with its hook and loop strips 36 and 40 is placed on the mattress 12 and is secured by straps 34. The hook and loop strips 36 and 40 face up. The combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet assembly 60 is secured to the mattress pad 30 by aligning the hook and loop strips 76 and 72 on the underside of the flat top 62 with the corresponding hook and loop strips 36 and 40 on the mattress pad 30. This will result in the fitted sheet 62 fitting in an unwrinkled manner relative to the mattress pad 30 and the top 18 of the mattress 12. The foot side 66 will hang down from the top 62 of the fitted sheet portion 60 and preferably cover the foot sides 24 and 28 of the mattress 12 and box spring 14, respectively. Likewise, the lateral sides 64 will hang down and preferably cover the sides 20 and 26 of the mattress 12 and box spring 14, respectively. The flat sheet 90 is shown with its top 92 slightly pulled up, and its lateral sides 94 and 96 will hang and extend downwardly to partially cover the lateral sides 64 of the fitted sheet 90. Unlike conventional fitted sheets, the lateral sides 64 and foot side 66 do not need to be tucked in or wrapped around the corners of the mattress, which at time can be difficult, particularly for extra thick and padded mattresses. Moreover, unlike conventional fitted sheets, which sometimes do not cover the entire sides of the mattress, which may be unappealing, the lateral sides 64 and foot side 66 are preferably long enough to cover even extra tall mattresses and/or a mattress on a box spring. Thus, the box spring will be covered up during use without an extra box spring skirt ruffles. Lastly, there will be no need to tuck in corners of the flat sheet at the foot of the bed.

Turning lastly to FIG. 5, there is shown another embodiment of the mattress pad 130 of the invention, with lateral straps 148 that will help to keep the mattress pad 130 fixed relative to the mattress. It includes a top 132, retention straps 134 located at corners, a strip of hook and loop material (e.g., Velcro®) 136 position on top 132 of the mattress pad 130 near a foot edge 138, and a strip of hook and loop material 140 position on top of the mattress pad 130 near a head edge 142 thereof. These two strips of hook and loop material 136 and 140 preferably extend across the width of the mattress and can have different colors, and/or can have printing or other indicia thereon or nearby, words such as “FOOT . . . FOOT . . . FOOT”, and “HEAD . . . HEAD . . . HEAD”, or “BOTTOM . . . BOTTOM . . . BOTTOM”, and “TOP . . . TOP . . . TOP”, etc. respectively (not shown), so that when the mattress pad is placed on the bed, it is oriented correctly as required for use of the combo flat sheet and fitted skirted sheet of the invention. In lieu of retention straps 134, folded and elasticized side panels can (not shown) be used to retain the mattress pad on top of the mattress. Instead of strip of hook and loop material 136 and 140, double hook material, or some other detachable attachment device can be used, such as clips, snaps and the like can be used. The mattress pad 130 has two lateral edges 144 and 146. The lateral straps 148 can have portions 148A and 148B which are held together with a buckle 150. Other means, such as hook and loop materials can be used to retain the ends of the lateral straps 148A and 148B together. Any other strap length adjustment means, such as easy open clips can be used in lieu of buckles.

Having thus described the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above disclosures are exemplary only and that various other alternatives, adaptations, and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention. The presently disclosed embodiment is to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein. 

1. A combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly for use with a mattress having a top surface and generally vertical lateral sides and a generally vertical foot side, the combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly comprising: a mattress pad having a top surface, an upper edge, a lower edge, retainers for maintaining the mattress pad in position on the top surface of the mattress, and detachable attachments positioned laterally across the top surface adjacent to the upper and lower edges of the mattress pad; and a combination flat sheet and fitted bed skirt sheet assembly, having a flat sheet, and a fitted bed skirt sheet, the fitted bed skirt sheet having a flat top with an upper edge, a lower edge, and lateral edges, and distinct lateral side skirts that freely extend downwardly from the lateral edges of the flat top and a distinct foot side skirt that freely extends downwardly from the lower edge of the flat top, and detachable attachments located on a lower surface of the flat top adjacent to the upper edge of the flat top and adjacent to the lower edge of the flat top, wherein when the combination flat sheet, and fitted bed skirt sheet assembly are aligned with and attached to the complementary detachable attachments located on the top surface of the mattress pad, the flat top of the fitted bed skirt sheet will be tightly positioned and unwrinkled relative to the mattress pad and mattress, and the distinct lateral side skirts and the distinct foot side skirt of the fitted bed skirt sheet will freely hang down and cover corresponding generally vertical lateral sides and the generally vertical foot side of the mattress, wherein the flat sheet is permanently attached to the fitted bed skirt sheet only at the lower edge of the flat top of the fitted bed skirt sheet, wherein a space between the flat sheet and the bed skirt sheet is adapted to receive a user.
 2. The combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly of claim 1, wherein the retainers comprise elastic straps near corners of the mattress pad.
 3. The combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly of claim 1, wherein the distinct lateral side skirts that extend from the lateral edges of the flat top of the fitted bed skirt sheet and the distinct foot side skirt that extends from the foot edge thereof are connected to each other in the vicinity of vertical corners of the mattress by pleated closed corners.
 4. The combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly of claim 1, wherein the detachable attachments located on the top surface of the mattress pad comprise two strips of hook and loop material, and the detachable attachments located on the bottom surface of the fitted bed skirt sheet comprises two strips of hook and loop material complementary to the strips of hook and loop material on the mattress pad.
 5. The combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly of claim 4, wherein the two strips of hook and loop material on the mattress pad have a different visual appearance from each other, and the two complementary strips of hook and loop material on the fitted bed skirt sheet have a complementary appearance to the two corresponding strips of hook and loop material on the mattress pad so that users will be guided how to place the combination flat sheet and fitted bed skirt sheet arrangement on the mattress pad.
 6. The combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly of claim 1, wherein the flat sheet has a flat top portion with lateral side edges and lateral side panels that extend vertically downwardly from the lateral sides and at least partially overlay the distinct lateral side skirts of the fitted bed skirt sheet.
 7. The combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly of claim 6, wherein the lateral side panels of the flat sheet are unattached to the fitted sheet portion.
 8. A combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly for use with a mattress have a top surface and generally vertical sides, the combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly comprising: a mattress pad having a top surface, an upper edge, a lower edge, retainers for maintaining the mattress pad in position on the mattress, and strips of hook and loop material positioned laterally across the top surface adjacent to the upper and lower edges of the mattress pad; and a combination flat sheet and fitted bed skirt sheet assembly, having a fitted bed skirt sheet having a flat top with an upper edge, a lower edge, lateral edges, and distinct lateral side skirts that freely extend downwardly from the lateral edges of the flat top, and a distinct foot side skirt that freely extends downwardly from the lower edge of the flat top, and complementary hook and loop material located on a lower surface of the flat top adjacent to the upper edge of the flat top and the lower edge of the flat top which are spaced apart so that when the combination flat sheet and fitted bed skirt sheet assembly are aligned with and attached to the hook and loop material located on the top surface of the mattress pad the flat top of the fitted sheet will be tightly positioned and unwrinkled relative to the mattress pad and mattress, and wherein the distinct lateral side skirts and distinct foot side skirt will freely hang down and cover corresponding sides of the mattress, and further comprising a flat sheet with a lower edge, which lower edge of the flat sheet is attached to the fitted bed skirt sheet only at the lower edge thereof, the flat sheet having a flat top with lateral side edges and lateral side panels that extend downwardly from the lateral side edges of the flat top of the flat sheet, and wherein the lateral side panels that extend from the lateral edges of the flat top of the flat sheet and a foot side skirt that extends from the foot edge of the flat top of the flat sheet are connected to each other in the vicinity of vertical corners of the mattress by pleated closed corners, wherein a space between the flat sheet and the bed skirt sheet is adapted to receive a user.
 9. The combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly of claim 8, wherein the retainers comprise elastic straps near corners of the mattress pad.
 10. The combination flat sheet, fitted bed skirt sheet, and mattress pad assembly of claim 8, wherein the two strips of hook and loop material on the mattress pad have different visual appearance and the two complementary strips of hook and loop material on the fitted bed skirt sheet have a complementary appearance to the two strips of hook and loop material on the mattress pad so that users will be guided how to place the combination flat sheet and fitted bed skirt on the mattress pad.
 11. (canceled) 